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HBO renews 'Game of Thrones' for second season

Long live the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros: HBO has renewed "Game of Thrones" for a second season, following gross premiere-night ratings of 4.2 million viewers on the main HBO channel.

Based on George R.R. Martin's bestselling fantasy book series "A Song of Ice and Fire," "Game of Thrones" follows the rivalries between kings and queens, knights and noblemen, and one very debauched dwarf.

"We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin's amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers," Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, said in a statement. "This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership."

Let the direwolves rejoice! And if you don't know what a direwolf is, you might want to catch up with all the excitement: Read our recap of the first episode, then test your Westeros knowledge here.